A Host in Paris
by Otoshigo
Summary: A friend from Adrien's past has suddenly appeared after years out of touch. Not only that, but he's determined to wreak chaos on the model's love life (or lack of one). Misidentities ensue! Will the students of the Collège Françoise Dupont be able to handle one larger-than-life playboy, Tamaki Suoh?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

"So what are you doing for break, dude?" Nino asked as he and Adrien headed towards the doors to school. Around them, the familiar sound of whispers sounded along with cheery good mornings from their classmates. Nearly all directed at Adrien Agreste, school idol. Living such a sheltered life, Adrien still wasn't used to this kind of mass attention. He was glad that Nino was able to put up with it.

"My dad arranged some shoots, but I should be mostly-"

"ADRIEN!" a loud, very male, voice called out. Nino and Adrien only had time to turn before the model was nearly bowled over by a flash of blond and designer clothes. "You grew up so _handsome_!" Adrien (sort-of) thanked all his experience with hard knocks as Chat Noir to keep himself on his feet instead of sprawled over onto the concrete. Nino stared at the sight, as he tried to pry the stranger off enough to see who had assaulted him.

Only to find out it wasn't a stranger at all. Underneath the mop of styled blond hair were violet eurasian eyes and a big, bright guileless smile that was unmistakable, despite the fact that it was wrapped up in a much more expensive package.

"Tamaki!" Adrien cried as he squeezed his friend back.

"Um..." Nino held up a hand as the two blonds tried to hug each other to death, "Who is this?"

"Oh, sorry!" Adrien said, as some classmates paused to watch the spectacle. "Tamaki, this is my friend Nino. Nino, this is Tamaki de Grantaine. We go way back."

There was an odd quirk to Tamaki's smile, but it was gone almost immediately. "That's right. Maman taught us both piano. Which led to playdates, which led to sleepovers, which led to being inseparable. Adrien is like my adorable little brother," he said as a rush of shared memories flooded both of them along with twin grins. Adrien was particularly delighted that Tamaki used 'is' not 'was' in calling him his little brother. Although from what Adrien remembered, Tamaki didn't hold himself so... flamboyantly before. (Did he have something to tell him?)

To Nino, Tamaki gave a dramatic bow, "Thank you for putting up with Adrien's appalling sense of humor. I so worried it would be detrimental in his ability to make new friends."

" _So_ what are you doing here?" Adrien coughed, "I heard that you moved to Japan." They had somehow grown distant when Tamaki's mom started getting sick, then when his own mom... Well, he always regretted not keeping in touch.

"Ah, yes, yes. I'm living with my father now," which the model recognized as code for avoid the mom topic with a hundred meter pole. One who didn't have their own parental problems wouldn't see it from the way that Tamaki gesticulated so wildly and spoke joyfully. "-living the high life with my school club filled with the love and beauty of young maidens' hearts. And Haruhi! Oh! I have a picture! Here's our club! Haruhi is just the cutest!" Tamaki cried as he pulled up a picture on his phone, with what could only be hearts in his eyes. In it was a club picture with several handsome teens in sharp blue school uniforms.

 _Okay, yup. Out of the closet,_ Adrien decided as he looked at the androgynous slender student in what was definitely a boy's uniform. Despite his surprise, he couldn't help but be happy for his old friend. "Wow, congratulations! He is a cutie!"

"He?" Tamaki blinked and looked at the picture. Then he laughed brightly, in a way that just filled passersby with a bubbly feeling. Adrien grinned. Yeah, he really missed Tamaki. "Haruhi isn't a boy! She's Daddy's adorable little daughter. But I can see why you'd make that mistake. Just about everyone at school does. No, she keeps up the disguise so that she can keep up the work as a host in our club."

 _Just what kind of school does he go to?_ Adrien wondered. Also, who exactly was Daddy? Tamaki's daddy? Were they half-siblings?

"Nino! Adrien! Morning!" Alya called as she approached. She wrapped an arm around Nino's waist, raising an eyebrow at the unfamiliar face. "New friend?"

"Ah, an old friend, mademoiselle. Though I hope to be a new friends of yours..." Tamaki replied, smoothly taking Alya's hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Adrien, you should have told me that you went to school with an angel who fell from heaven."

 _...Exactly how was I supposed to tell you that?_ Adrien wondered again, as he was subject to Nino's evil eye. It wasn't _his_ fault that Tamaki turned out to be an outrageous flirt. He laughed nervously, not noticing the speculative glint to Alya's eye as she studied the newcomer. "Ah, well, if you give me your number, I'm sure I can tell you everything in the future. I'm sorry we have to cut this short, but we have class starting soon and..." Adrien slowed as the grin spread wider on Tamaki's face. "What?"

"Actually, Adri-chan~" Tamaki replied cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Adrien's shoulders, "I'm going to be spending this next week at school with you!"

"Wait, what? You're transferring here?" Adrien asked, eyes widening.

"Just for the week before break! Then I'll have another week before I need to head back," Tamaki replied cheerfully.

"A-are you allowed to do that?" Nino asked dubiously. "Are you even in our grade?"

Tamaki merely chuckled. "You could say I have some pull with the superintendent," he said with a wink. With that, he managed to whirl Adrien with his arm, turning them towards the doors. "Now Adrien, come! Show me through this beautiful world of yours!"

Somehow, the outrageous behaviour didn't stop there. "Good morning, class!" Tamaki announced loudly at the head of the classroom. "I, Tamaki de Grantaine, will grace your lives for one beautiful ephemeral week. But don't be sad at my impending loss. Think instead of what beautiful memories we will create this springtime in Paris." Then he immediately took to introducing himself personally to everyone, paying particular attention to the girls. He even flirted with Mylene, _right in front of Ivan,_ exclaiming how the best things came in small packages.

"Where the hell did you pick this guy up?" Nino hissed at Adrien, as they stared dumbfounded at the other blond.

"He wasn't exactly like this when I knew him," Adrien whispered back. He couldn't help but be in awe. Tamaki was confident, wild and open. Just about everything that he wanted to be. Everything that he _was_ when he donned the mask. Only Tamaki didn't need a mask to be his true self.

Then Tamaki stopped in front of Chloe, the last person present, after he so suavely complimented Sabrina's 'fiery' hair. Chloe Bourgeois leaned forward, peering down her nose at Tamaki. Suddenly, Adrien remembered that they met before. Ages ago. Giving him a saccharine smile, she sniped, "So you came back, half-breed bastard. Didn't your mother's business tank? Do you need money? Is that why you're trying to crawl back into Adrikin's good graces?" She shot Adrien a smile, as if she thought she was doing him a favor.

However, the look only made a pit of shock and disgust well up in Adrien's stomach. At the same time there was a collective suction of breath and a chill went through the class. As though they expected a black butterfly to flutter in at any second.

Tamaki, however, was unfazed. He gave Chloe one of his most winning smiles yet, planting a hand on top of her desk and leaning in. "Oh Chloe, you've certainly grown more beautiful since the last time I saw you. It is such a shame your rotten core disgusts everyone around you."

Chloe gaped at him, growing redder and more flabbergasted by the second, while the tension in the room dissipated.

Nino grinned. "Never mind, I like this dude." Adrien nodded slowly, but was left with the disquieting thought that maybe Chloe had always bullied Tamaki.

His task apparently done, Tamaki took the only empty seat left, next to Alya. "Ah! My Angel, it seems I am blessed to be in such lovely company once more," he said, taking the reporter's hand in his own. "Would you do me the honor of being my guide for the rest of the day?"

"Er- actually-" Alya started, when the doors burst open.

"I'M HERE!" Marinette Dupain-Cheng cried, with just seconds to spare. She looked up to Alya and the teen next to her in her seat. "Ah, wait, who-?" she pointed to him.

Tamaki stood at once. "Oh a thousand pardons, milady," he said with a bow and a flourish, "I would never deprive a maiden of her seat." He took Marinette's hand in what was to be his customary greeting and pressed a kiss to it. "Would you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Marinette, to Adrien's surprise, didn't blush or stammer at the advances. Instead her eyes went wide and she let out an " _Uhhh_..."

"My apologies, dear lady. Let me introduce myself. My name is Tamaki de Grantaine. I am Adrien's dearest childhood friend," Tamaki went on, ignoring the way that Chloe squawked at the claim. "Might I know the name of such a lovely creature as yourself?"

Adrien frowned. For some reason, he was starting to get a little irritated, though he couldn't fathom why. And what was with that knowing look Nino was shooting him?

"Marinette," the teen replied slowly, as if not sure she should. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng..."

"Ma-ri-nette~" Tamaki sounded, before smiling wider. "Such a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. It is a pleasure to meet you."

That was when Mme Bustier decided to make an appearance. She frowned at Tamaki's presence, but from the way she collected herself, seemed to expect him. "Good morning class. I see that you have met Tamaki Suoh. He will be joining us this week. Mr. Suoh, please take a seat. We will have our test first thing. I will ask that you not be disruptive."

Wait. Suoh?

Adrien's eyes widened, as did a couple others in class. Suoh as in Suoh Enterprises? The financial powerhouse that owned all the Roy Grand Hotels, the Outo Theaters and so on? Tamaki merely gave them a sheepish grin at being caught. Adrien's eyes flicked over to Chloe, whose jaw could not have possibly dropped any lower.

After all, it wasn't everyday you ran into the owner of your hotel.

~o~

Of course, Tamaki continued to be an endless source of distraction, much to Mme Bustier's irritation. He blazed through the test (insisted that he take it, since he was an honorary member of the class), then took over science class with an unsanctioned experiment. Then he treated the whole class to a catered lunch from one of the best restaurants in Paris. Only to punctuate the end of the absolutely bizarre day by inviting all of them to a spring party, location TBD. All throughout, he continued to attempt to charm his way into everyone's hearts. In the most over-exaggerated way possible. He seemed to have quite the thing for Marinette too, lavishing her with more attention than any other girl in the room.

Marinette had no idea what to make of him, but Alya sure had some ideas. "Listen, I think he's Chat Noir!" she said as they walked home from school.

"Alya..." Marinette sighed. "You have a habit of jumping to conclusions, you know. Doesn't he live in Japan?"

"Oh, so he says. He's obviously French," the reporter replied dismissively, "and he _already_ lied about his name. Plus he's blond, isn't he? Same build? Same height?"

Marinette's mouth pinched, unable to dispute those points. "His eyes aren't green," she argued.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that Chat Noir's whole eyes aren't green in real life either," Alya said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, he acts just like him! Seriously, who else do you know would flirt like that?"

"You can't base this off of hair color and flirting!" Marinette cried, even as the words that Tamaki spoke to her earlier in the day ate away at her. _A thousand pardons, milady._ "He doesn't pun," she decided. "Chat Noir isn't Chat Noir without the puns."

"Oh right, let's just whip out all those cat puns and make it totally obvious what his alter-ego is. I know I'm right about this, Mari. We need to take advantage of this while he's here. Tail him and see him transform when there's an Akuma attack," Alya said, a fire of determination lighting up in her eyes. There was no way Marinette would be able to talk her out of this. "Now, he took off after Adrien after school, so why don't you use your stalker chart of yours and-"

She paused as an expensive black town car slowed to their walking pace next to them. The tinted window slid open revealing the gorgeous blond face within, eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. He smiled brightly at the pair. "Angel! Milady! Good afternoon!" Tamaki said boisterously. "Are you free right now?"

Alya and Marinette shared a look. A universal exchange of eye contact when a strange boy asked a couple girls into a limo. "Aren't you supposed to be with Adrien?" Alya asked, though Marinette could see the gears spinning in her head.

At this, Tamaki let out a dramatic sigh. "I _tried_ , but his bodyguard wouldn't let me come with him. Although I'll see him later," he said cryptically. "Which is why I would be honored if you would escort me in a tour around Paris for the time being."

"Didn't you live here all your life?" Marinette asked. She overheard Adrien and Nino chatting away about him. Not that she was eavesdropping... exactly. "Why would you need a tour?"

"Ah, but I have never toured Paris with such lovely company," Tamaki reasoned. "The presence of such beautiful maidens lends such a different air to seeing Paris. One that I have been cruelly deprived of my whole life." With that he took the sunglasses off and laid on them, the most puppy-dog eyes that he could muster. "Would you deprive me now?"

Alya and Marinette hesitated. The puppy-dog look was powerful indeed. "I- I'm sorry, we both have homework," Marinette managed, watching the puppy deflate. "We have an essay that we need to finish tomorrow and-" Then she got an elbow in the ribs, along with a significant look. "B-but if you'd like to come with us, you're welcome. It just won't be very exciting."

At once, the puppy reinflated. "Nonsense!" he said, opening up the door to his town car. He hopped out, then held out his hands for their books. "I would be honored to escort you home. If you'll allow me."

When they arrived home, the blond was absolutely ecstatic to see that Marinette lived above one of the most famous patisseries in Paris. After he charmed the pants off of both of her parents (he knew Chinese, of _course_ everyone knew Chinese except Marinette), he then bought up nearly all the cakes in the store. Which were then passed off to his driver waiting outside to be delivered to his friend.

"Wait, Honey-senpai. Like a classmate?" Marinette asked.

"Exactly!" Tamaki chirped.

"...A classmate in Japan?"

"He will love them!" Tamaki said just as brightly. Not at all sensing the problem. Aaand maybe it wasn't, given how obscenely rich he was.

"Must be nice to be so carefree," Alya remarked as they headed upstairs to do their homework.

Naturally, Tamaki was absolutely charmed by Marinette's room. "It's so pink and girlish!" he cried, admiring every nook and cranny. "Such a bold display of femininity is to be admired. How refreshing!"

Marinette was mortified. Thankfully, he didn't comment on the multitude of pictures of Adrien she had posted to her wall. "I don't suppose you could entertain yourself while we work?" she asked desperately.

"Of course, milady, but in addition to my perfect features, I have the brains of a brilliant scientist in the making. I would be happy to help you with your assignment."

"Thanks, but I think we need to do this ourselves..." Marinette sighed. This boy was like Adrien in so many different ways and at the same time, not like Adrien at _all._

It was Alya who voiced the thought aloud. "Tamaki, you're like an Adrien from an alternate universe. Some weird, super flirty version of Adrien," she said, giving her bestie another significant look. _See, he's so Chat Noir!_

 _He is not!_ Marinette shot back.

Tamaki chuckled, making himself at home on Marinette's chaise, unaware he was being silently gossiped over. "Is it flirting to be so open with your heart and to heap compliments on beauty when you see it? You do not hold back on your admiration of art in the Louvre, so why would you when you see another beautiful human being?"

 _Because it's completely inappropriate in the middle of a fight,_ Marinette thought with a mental sigh. The more she listened to Tamaki, the more she was convinced he wasn't Chat Noir. Tamaki seemed harmless enough, more enamored with the idea of beauty than trying to make an actual pass at anyone. Like he thought he was spreading cheer. Not like her tomcat-

"So, tell me about these Akuma," the blond blurted.

Marinette stiffened. A-huh. So, they were getting right into that, huh? "Um, well. They're basically victims of a man named Hawkmoth, who appeared about a year ago. He takes over them when they've been wronged or are suffering heartbreak and turns them into villains."

"Which he then uses to fight Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Alya interjected, whipping out her Ladyblog on her phone. "See? They're our new heroes of Paris! Ladybug always kicks ass and saves the day!"

"Not without Chat Noir's help!"

"When he's not getting possessed you mean."

Tamaki's face, however, cooled into an expression so stoic and cold, that it did not seem as though it belonged to him. "How despicable," he whispered, scrolling through the list of past Akuma. "To take advantage of a broken heart. To use someone else's pain. How could he?"

Something in Marinette softened and she smiled. Obnoxious as he was, he had a good heart underneath all the narcissism (probably). Maybe this was Adrien's good influence, to counter Chloe's bad. "He probably has a broken heart himself," she murmured. "Anyway, have fun with that. We need to work."

With the blond finally distracted, they managed to grind through editing the rest of their paper. Until Sabine called them all down to dinner, where Tamaki heaped compliments on her mother's cooking, while regaling them of his boundless fascination with plebeian cuisine. Afterwards, he offered Alya a ride back to her home, but not without a departing kiss to Marinette's hand. "Thank you for a lovely evening. Sweet dreams, milady," he spoke, giving her a wink. With that he left.

"Well," Sabine said as they watched the car pull away. "He's a very nice boy. But I somehow feel a little... exhausted."

"You're telling me. I spent the whole day with him," Marinette said as her whole body slouched with weariness. "And he's sticking around for another two weeks."

"Oh? Why is he here?" Sabine asked as they headed up to clean up after dinner.

Marinette blinked. "You know... I'm not sure that he ever said."

~o~

Adrien sighed as he entered his mansion much later that night. His shoot had gone long and he'd been given hell for the bruise he'd picked up in fencing earlier. One that was easily covered up with concealer. Honestly, it was only so lucky (hah) that he never kept any of his injuries with his night job.

"I'm home..." he called out into the empty hall, waiting for his voice to echo.

It echoed back, "ADRIEN!" For the second time that day, the model was nearly knocked onto his ass, as a blur of blond and blue collided into him. He was wrapped up into a hug, which was _nice_ but a little overwhelming. "Welcome home!" Tamaki beamed at him.

"T-Tamaki?! What are you doing in my house?!" Adrien cried as he pried the other blond off of him.

"Oh, well, your dad is one of my father's most important clients. So when I told my father that I wanted to come to Paris, he wanted me to be a little more secure and supervised than cutting me loose. So he called your dad up and asked if I could stay. And he said yes!"

Ah. So strong-arming. Despite this, Adrien grinned. He pulled back, holding hands with his old friend. "That's awesome! It's been so long since I've had anyone over. Are you all settled here? Did you get a room? Dinner?"

"Oh, I had dinner with the Dupain-Chengs. They were absolutely lovely. You can see how Marinette grew up into such a vibrant young lady with such a loving family." Something in Adrien twitched. But- it couldn't be jealousy surely. He should be happy that Tamaki somehow became best friends with the shyest girl in class _in a single day,_ when it took him _months._

"Your hands are a little tight," Tamaki said, giving his friend a strangely knowing smile.

"Oh! Sorry!" Adrien yelped, letting his hands go. "Um, yeah, what was I saying? Do you have a room?"

"Don't be silly! I'll sleep in your room!" Tamaki said as he spun around, towards the bedroom in question. "It'll be like old times!"

Inside his shirt pocket, Adrien could feel a wriggle of intense disatisfaction. He winced. But, it was impossible to say no to Tamaki. _("Sorry Plagg, I'll give you a ton of cheese in the morning,")_ he whispered to his pocket.

 _("Are you kidding? I have to stay in hiding with that nauseating sunshine child frollicking around? He's worse than you are!")_

 _("Plagg,_ please _, it's only for a couple weeks. I never get to have friends over. And I haven't seen Tamaki in years.")_

His pocket grumbled, but didn't argue further. When Adrien peeked in his room, he saw that Tamaki had already availed himself to all of his sheets, pillows and couch cushions, setting up a tent attached to the rock wall. "Uh... Tamaki?" he said, "You're not serious, are you?"

"Adri-chan~! It's just like our old slumber parties!" Tamaki grinned, peeking out from beneath the draped sheet. "Come on! Get inside!"

"Are you seriously a year older than me?" Adrien asked, even as he began grinning. Taking care to hide Plagg in a safe place in his closet, he shimmied into some PJs and joined the other blond in his rather impressive pillow fort. "This is kind of a tight squeeze," he said as he tried to make himself comfortable on all the floor cushions.

"We are bigger," Tamaki grinned, patting Adrien on the head. "You're almost my height now, Adri-chan." He laughed as Adrien swatted his hand away. "Oh, so I raided your kitchen and found crackers. Also, I saw you have camembert stashed all over your room. We can celebrate your entry into the 'stinky cheese fan club'."

Outside the tent, a muffled _'Noooooo~!'_ squealed from the closet.

Tamaki blinked. "What was that?"

"My text tone!" Adrien yelped. "I probably have a text from my dad. Just ignore it." He grabbed the crackers and camembert, wrinkling his nose as the gooey smell permeated their tiny tent. "Mmm~! R-rotten cheese! Yum!" he said, trying not to grimace as he ate the snack meant for his kwami.

The older blond raised an eyebrow, but he had the grace not to call him out on the obvious lie. "So," he said instead in a conspiratorial whisper, "let's play Truth or Dare."

~o~

The next morning, Marinette and Alya looked on as Adrien and Tamaki entered the classroom, looking as though they had all of about 30 minutes of sleep. They sat next to each other in the front row, heads nodding as to stay awake. Nino sent the girls a long suffering look as he kept elbowing Adrien awake.

"Don't they look like twins?" Alya grinned, as their heads bobbed in unison during third period.

"From the _back_ , sure," Marinette muttered.

"Fraternal twins."

"Tamaki's half-Japanese!" Marinette hissed at her.

"Half-brothers, then."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Marinette peered over at the blonds. She had to admit, they both looked really cute, all slow-blinking and sleepy. Tamaki was infinitely more tolerable when he wasn't so hyperactive. When he was awake and talking, he was about as annoying as Ch-

No. She was not going to finish that thought.

"You know, Tamaki's awfully sweet on you," Alya said with a conspiratorial smile.

"Ugh, _no,_ " Marinette said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"But he's blond and pretty."

"So's Chloe," Marinette muttered. "Besides, I thought you said he was Chat Noir. Aren't you all over LadyNoir?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind a little Mari-Chat either," Alya teased, laughing when Marinette threw an eraser at her.

Just before lunch, Tamaki seemed to gain his second wind. As bright and as cheery as the perfect sunrise, he draped himself over the edge of Marinette's desk and beamed up at her. "Milady, what are you doing for lunch? Do you have plans?"

"I-I was going to go home..." Marinette replied, _wishing_ he would stop calling her by that nickname.

"You could come have lunch with me," Alya said with a smile. "You're interested in Ladybug, right? I'd be happy to tell you everything I know." Which meant that she was probably going to grill him to see if he was Chat Noir, while she was at it.

"Ah, Alya. _We_ have plans remember?" Nino interrupted, not at all liking the idea of his girlfriend having a private lunch with such a flirt. Marinette didn't blame him, even though she knew very well Alya could handle herself. "Adrien," he elbowed the model in the arm. "We have plans, _right?_ "

"Mm? What? Sure," Adrien said, shaking his head to wake himself up. Oh, but he looked so cute when he did that. Like a puppy shaking himself dry. "What plans?"

"We were going with Alya to grab gyros at that new place," Nino said so convincingly, it really did sound like it wasn't made up on the fly.

"Oh?" Alya said with a raised eyebrow. "So I'd go out with you two and leave my girl on her own? Doesn't sound like me."

"Well, obviously Mari's coming," Nino replied.

Before Marinette could even protest, Tamaki said, "That sounds wonderful! I'd love gyros!" All four turned to him. He beamed back with bright puppy-dog eyes.

~o~

"So, Tamaki, do you know any martial arts of any kind?" Alya asked as they stood in line for said gyros at a little shop stand nearby school. (Marinette was pretty sure the shop had been around for ages.)

Tamaki smiled wanly at her. "My dear Angel~ Just because I'm half-Japanese doesn't mean I automatically know martial arts."

To her credit, Alya flushed. But it didn't last long. "...Okay, but seriously. Do you?"

"Alya, you're embarrassing yourself," Marinette hissed at her.

"I will endure anything for the truth," the reporter hissed back.

"Oh, I see!" Tamaki spoke over them. "You're impressed with my athletic build! After all, my looks couldn't possibly come from being slovenly in my lifestyle. Since you are so curious, I do know a couple self-defense moves from a friend of mine. But the rest of this," Tamaki said, making a grand gesture at his body, "is all completely biology, much to the envy of my peers. Alas, sometimes it is _such_ a trial to look as good as I do." He punctuated this with a flick of his blond hair and a dramatic sigh.

"...Okay, _now_ I'm embarrassed," Alya muttered.

"Babe, what's with the interrogation?" Nino asked suspiciously, as the smell of roasting meat wafted over them into the stone street.

"Can't I be curious about a new, albeit temporary, classmate?" Alya shrugged. "One who's such good friends with Adrien besides?"

"Yeah, well it sounds like you're trying to know more about him than I do," the model replied as they finally reached the head of the line.

"Don't blame them, Adri-chan. It's perfectly natural that ladies would be curious about such beautiful specimens as we," Tamaki smiled. "It is our duty to indulge their maidenly desires. Isn't that right, milady?" he asked, casting a smile at Marinette.

Marinette reddened. Then when Adrien looked at her perplexed, she choked on the air. "Wh-wh-what?! No. NO! Th-that's not. Don't be ridiculous! Why would I possibly- Not even someone as perfect as Adrien could- Just no!"

"Now _you're_ the one embarrassing yourself, girl," Alya whispered at her.

"Oh, shush," Marinette replied miserably.

~o~

"Can you please stop calling her milady?" Adrien asked as an aside after they paid for lunch. They had made their way towards some park benches to eat, with Tamaki and Adrien on their own while Nino hovered protectively over Mari and Alya. "That's totally inappropriate. You're older than her."

"By only a year," Tamaki replied. "It's not so awful, is it?"

"Yeah, well," Adrien replied stiffly, feeling confused and conflicted. He knew for sure, he didn't want Tamaki calling his shy classmate _that_ name. "Can you just not? Please? As a favor to me."

"Why? Are you in love with her?" Tamaki asked idly.

Which was when Adrien did a fantastic Marinette impression, reddening as bright as a tomato. "Wh-what! No! That's absurd! I barely know her-! I mean! She's sweet and pretty, but she's-! No!"

 _("Methinks he doth protest too much,")_ Plagg purred from his pocket.

"Shut it!" Adrien snapped, without using his indoor voice. At Tamaki's raised eyebrow, he said, "Sorry. Talking to myself. But seriously, no. I don't have anything going on with Marinette. It's just a completely normal friend-classmate relationship."

"Hmm," Tamaki mused. "Then what about Princess?"

"You can't call her that either!" Adrien shrieked, spilling a third of his gyro on the ground.

Tamaki blinked. Then a sly smile stretched over his lips. He waved to the others on the opposite bench. "Milady! Adri-chan needs a bite of your gyro! He lost his!"

Marinette choked on her mouthful of food. She looked up after hacking up the roasted lamb, long enough to see Tamaki looking at his flustered and red-faced companion with the most smug cheshire-grin she's ever seen. Except for on one other face.

 _...Chat?_ she wondered, looking on Tamaki with newfound astonishment.

~o~

"Tikki..." Marinette said, later that night. "Is Tamaki...? I mean, should I...?"

The sweet little bug kwami looked up from her cookie. They were safely ensconced away in Marinette's room, homework and pastries laid out over the computer desk. "Do you want me to answer, Marinette?"

"No... _Yes,_ " the teen sighed, letting her head thump on her book. "I can't help it, Tikki! He really acts as flirty as Chat. He's got the same hair, the same build. And the _Milady!_ I know it doesn't make any sense, but he's so much like him!"

"It's perfectly natural to be curious, Marinette," Tikki chirped. "What matters is what you plan to do about it."

"I don't know, Tikki," Marinette sighed again. "I'd feel like a hypocrite if I go and try to figure out if it is him or not. After all the times I kept denying him. It's such a violation of his privacy." She worried her lip. "At the same time, I don't know what Tamaki's doing here. Plus the _Milady_. Does he already know who I am? What if he's trying to drop hints?"

"Well~" Tikki said slowly, "if you're really curious if Chat Noir knows who you are, why don't you ask Chat Noir?"

Marinette blinked. "Oh... oh, of course!" she cried as realization struck. "Chat Noir wouldn't lie to me. Well, not to Ladybug in any case. As soon as another Akuma attacks, I'll try to talk to him afterwards." A fond smile spread over her face as she booped Tikki's head. "Thank you, Tikki."

"Of course, Marinette."

~o~

 _Somehow_ Adrien managed to convince Tamaki that night three in the pillow fort was just not going to work. So _somehow_ that meant Adrien had to share his only, albeit large, bed. It really wouldn't have been so bad... if Tamaki hadn't wanted to grill Adrien about his love life.

"I'm telling you, I don't like Marinette like that! She's just a friend!" Adrien said as he whacked Tamaki's annoying face with a pillow. He was in absolutely no mood for this, since it was midnight and he was already two-days sleep deprived. "I like someone else!"

"Oh~?" the older boy said in interest. "And who is that? The superhero celebrity you've got all over your computer wallpaper? I'll admit, she is quite beautiful."

"She's more than that," Adrien scoffed. "She's brave and heroic. Even when she's scared." His eyes took on that wistful luster that they held whenever Ladybug captured his thoughts. "Plus she's so quick on her feet and confident. She totally kicks ass too. She's _amazing._ "

"...She looks an awful lot like Marinette," Tamaki remarked idly.

"Will you just stop~" Adrien groaned, covering his head with a pillow. Deciding that it was high time to change the conversation, he asked, "Why don't we talk about Haruhi instead? What is she, your new half-sister?"

At this, Tamaki belted out with merry laughter. "Oh no, no, _no_! She is a normal plebeian. Well, incredibly gifted to become an honor student at my school, but she is Daddy's precious little daughter!"

"So she's adopted?" Adrien tried again, his brow knitting into a frown.

"Oh! Yes, you could say that!" the older blond replied, his violet eyes lighting up with glee. "I may not have any relation to her, but she inspires so much paternal affection from me," he gushed. "I want nothing more than for her to grow up into a beautiful, sweet, feminine lady! She already is the cutest, isn't she?"

... _What_. Adrien stared. "I'm... sorry... _You're_ the Daddy?"

"Exactly!" Tamaki beamed.

 _...I give up_ , the model thought, _I can't even follow him anymore._ "Tamaki, it's late and I have a shoot tomorrow after school. My dad'll flip if I show up with rings under my eyes."

Tamaki's lips formed into a little 'o' before he smiled. "Alright Adri-chan," he replied softly. He reached out, gently combing his fingers through the model's hair in a slow soothing fashion. "You do need more help than I do in that department. Go ahead and get your beauty sleep."

"You are such an _ass,_ " Adrien mumbled into his pillow. However, the gentle motion was really nice, as starved for affection as he was. He leaned into the brotherly touch and it wasn't long before his eyes slipped closed into a restive slumber.

Tamaki watched him for a while longer, a faint smile spread over his lips. Then his phone buzzed on the bed stand nearby. He picked it up and answered it.

" _Ah, Kyouya, good morning,_ " Tamaki spoke quietly into his phone in Japanese. " _...No, I haven't found them yet. ...No, I would really prefer if you didn't cause an Akuma, though I'm sure you're capable of that. ...I still have over a week. I'm sure they'll turn up. ...Right. ...All right. Say hello to everyone for me. And give our little daughter a kiss for me. ...On the cheek, Kyouya! Honestly!_ "

Cheeks puffed with indignation, he ended the call and dropped his phone back on the stand. Then with a wicked grin, he scooped an unsuspecting Adrien up against him and spooned against him before he too fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Plagg listened from underneath the bed, snacking pensively on his camembert.

~o~

The next morning as they were getting ready to head for school (after Adrien laid into Tamaki for cuddling him against his will), Plagg communicated he needed a word with a secret tap code against Adrien's chest. Understanding instantly, Adrien called to Tamaki, "Oh hey, I need something from my room. Go ahead to the car. I'll just be a minute."

Sneaking off into the bathroom, Adrien let Plagg out of his shirt pocket. "Plagg? What's up? I'm gonna be late for school."

"There's something shifty about that Tamaki guy," the black kwami sniffed. "He thought he was being so clever, taking calls at midnight and speaking in Japanese. What he doesn't know is that I know every language on the planet."

"He doesn't know about you period," Adrien said with a frown. "And don't eavesdrop on other people's conversations. I'm sure it was completely harmless. _Tamaki_ is completely harmless." Well, except for violating his personal space, but he could deal with that.

"He was talking about Akuma, kid," Plagg replied, his eyes sharpening into green slits. "Didn't sound harmless to me."

Adrien faltered at that. "W-well, it makes sense that he's interested in them. He grew up here. He must be worried about what's going on in Paris."

"Do you know what he's doing here?" Plagg pressed. Adrien hesitated. "I didn't think so. You better find out soon, kid. This boy smells like trouble."

Unconvinced, but unsettled, Adrien gestured for Plagg to hide again, before making his way to the car. Outside Tamaki seemed to be making a project of trying to get the stoic Gorilla to accessorize. "No, no, no! You're the chauffeur of a fashion icon! You _must_ look the part!" the eurasian cried, donning the Gorilla with a floppy red hat and frilly scarf. Meanwhile his bodyguard looked like he was trying not to outright murder the son of his boss' most important investor.

Adrien snorted with an aborted laugh. Plagg really didn't know what he was talking about, he decided, as he let the Gorilla usher them hurriedly into the car to school.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

It was on Thursday morning that Tamaki finally had proper invitations to his mysterious party on the last day of school. He passed out the creamy white invitations embossed in gold to everyone in class, causing an excited titter among the teens. Tamaki even included Chloe as it would be ungentlemanly to exclude her out of the whole school. Naturally, she acted as though it was a privilege that she would even consider it. Until she looked at the location of the party.

"Place du Trocadero!" Chloe gasped, eyes wide as she took in the venue name. "You booked the _Trocadero?!_ "

Tamaki gave a small shrug and an unhappy sigh. "I wanted to book Versailles, but it is too far from Paris for such short notice." He gave Adrien and Nino a proud smile over his shoulder. "Haruhi has been teaching me to be more considerate of plebeian deficiencies. It would be rude to expect that they can arrange for private cars to take them without saving up for it for months."

"...How nice of you," Nino remarked dryly, while Adrien gave a strained laugh.

Tamaki was then left considering his last invitation, addressed to Dupain-Cheng. "It is too bad I could not invite Ladybug and Chat Noir," he sighed as he returned to his seat. Adrien stiffened. Oblivious to his reaction, Tamaki went on, "It would have been nice to show my appreciation for all their efforts keeping Paris safe in my absence."

Alya hummed at that. "Well, if you're serious about inviting them, I bet I could post a notice on the Ladyblog with the details."

"You would do that?" Tamaki brightened, before he deflated. "But how will they get in without their official invitations?"

"They don't need invites to get in. _Trust_ me," Adrien muttered to him. Of course, if it hadn't been for what Plagg said that morning, he wouldn't have bothered to turn up as Chat. Now he didn't think he had a choice.

At this, Tamaki beamed. "Well, then alright! Angel, you are a goddess. Thank you!"

"You are very welcome," the reporter replied with a flushed grin, which made Nino grumble darkly under his breath.

Mme Bustier entered the room with Marinette absent as usual. Tamaki pouted as he held onto the lone invitation he had left, looking like a sad, lonely puppy.

Then about fifteen minutes into class, Marinette _finally_ made her way into the classroom. She snuck in, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She cringed when she saw Tamaki light up at her presence and he bounced in his seat with anticipation. As soon as she was seated, he whirled around and presented her with the white invitation with both hands.

"Milady, I'm holding a party tomorrow night. Would you do me the honor of coming as my date?"

"W-what?!" Marinette and Adrien both cried at once.

"Mr. Suoh, Mr. Agreste, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, _please_ stop disrupting class," Mme Bustier snapped, looking like she was at the very end of her rope. This was her fourth day with a bored Tamaki after all. "Sit _down_ and _be quiet._ "

"I eagerly await your reply," Tamaki whispered with a wink, before he obediently sat back down next to Adrien. Adrien who glared daggers into his old friend, as though he was ready to murder him right then and there. Not that Tamaki seemed to notice.

Alya did, however, and her lips stretched into a conspiratorial smile.

At lunch, the reporter snapped Marinette up before anyone could talk to her, stealing her away to have some private girl-talk.

Which left Adrien to rail into Tamaki as he pleased. "Tamaki! What do you think you're doing, inviting Marinette as your date?!" he demanded once he got the older blond alone in an empty classroom.

Tamaki gave him an all too-innocent look, cocking his head in confusion. "Adri-chan, it's just a party. I promise that my intentions are completely honorable. I just wish to show the lady a good time. Besides I'm only here for another week and you _did_ tell me you're not interested in her."

Sure. That all sounded completely reasonable. Nor did Adrien actually believe that the older blond would do anything untoward with the shy girl. It was very likely that Tamaki simply liked Marinette platonically and wanted to spend time with her.

...But everything about this whole situation made him want to hiss and bristle, like a cat being stroked backwards.

With no immediate argument forthcoming, Tamaki took to studying Adrien with a musing expression. Then he snapped his fingers. "I got it!" he said brightly. "You have paternal feelings towards Marinette! You think of her as _your_ daughter!"

"What?!" Adrien squawked. "No! It's nothing like that!"

"Isn't it?" Tamaki asked quizzically. "You say you don't have any romantic feelings towards her, but you get protective of her when boys start sniffing around her. Then you leap in to defend her honor, just as a doting father would."

"I..." the model stammered. He couldn't deny any of those things and it made some bizarre kind of sense. Sort of.

"It is exactly like my relationship with my Haruhi," Tamaki said with a happy sigh, clasping his hands together as he reminisced. "She is so adorable and the apple of my eye. I'd do anything to protect her. It is such a shame that she needs to hide her gender in such a way. I'd love nothing more than to see her in cute, frilly dresses and pigtails and-"

"Tamaki! You have a _crush_ on _Haruhi_ , you _dumbass!_ " Adrien finally snapped, unable to take it anymore.

Tamaki froze, pausing his gushing to give the model two long, slow blinks. Then he laughed. "No, no, no. Adrien, don't be ridiculous. My fatherly devotion to Haruhi is completely sincere. You're just projecting your own feelings for Marinette onto my feelings for Haruhi."

"I am not projecting _anything,_ " Adrien cried, fisting his hands through his perfectly-styled hair. He didn't care though. Not when Tamaki was being this _absurd!_

"So you do think of Marinette as your daughter?"

"No!"

"So you have a crush on Marinette?"

" _No!"_

"So you have no problem with me asking Marinette to be my date to the party."

" _ **NO!"**_

Tamaki beamed, while the younger blond nearly hyperventilated in his frustration. He gently patted Adrien on the head. "Good!" he said, "I am glad we're on the same page. I wouldn't want to do anything to upset you, Adri-chan."

Adrien threw his hands up in the air. "You know what? Forget it! Fine, whatever! You already asked her anyway! It's not like she's going to say yes!"

Someone rapped at the empty classroom's door, drawing both blonds' attention. The door creaked open. Alya and Marinette peeked in. "Are we interrupting something?" Alya asked, raising an eyebrow at Adrien's rumpled state.

"No," came the collective reply, one more surly than the other.

"Okay good." Alya gently shoved her bestie out in front of her. "Tamaki, Mari's got something to tell you."

 _A HALF HOUR EARLIER_

"Mari, you have to say yes to Tamaki," Alya said, her eyes lit up in determination. She wasn't exactly giving her bestie much of a choice, having cornered her in the girls' restroom with hands clenching Mari's shoulders.

To Marinette, this sounded like the single-most tedious suggestion she had ever heard. "No! Alya, are you nuts? He's so narcissistic and obnoxious! The last thing I need is to fuel his ego!"

To both of their annoyance, Chloe opened the door to one of the stalls, sneering at the pair as she went to wash her hands. "Yeah, Marinette, why don't you? Then you can pop out more slanty-eyed half-breeds."

"You kiss your father with that disgusting mouth of yours?" Marinette demanded, as their noses wrinkled in revulsion.

"We're having a private conversation, Chloe. Leave!" Alya snapped, throwing a roll of toilet paper at the girl. The pony-tailed girl _hmphed!_ in reply, stalking out of the restroom. "And she'd be twenty times richer than you, bitch!" Alya shouted after her, before she slammed the door and locked it. "God, she is so gross!"

"Alya, one day you need to catch her on video saying such trash," Marinette said as she shuddered. The Chloe Bourgeois aftertaste was hard to get rid of.

"I will, I will. But never mind that for now," Alya said, turning back to the matter at hand. "Mari, say yes to Tamaki."

Marinette groaned. " _Why?_ And don't tell me it's to stick it to Chloe. It's not worth it."

"No, to make Adrien _jealous,_ " Alya replied, lips spreading into a wide smile. "Girl, didn't you see the way that he was looking at Tamaki after he asked you? I thought he was about to throw him out the window, I'd never seen him look so evil."

Marinette paled. "Alya! Don't say that! You make it sound like Adrien's about to get akumatized! And- well, he wouldn't get jealous over little ol' me, anyway," she added miserably, toying with the hem of her jacket.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Bad choice of words," Alya responded. "But I know I'm right about this. If you went to this party with Tamaki, Adrien would go green with envy. He's got to figure out how he feels about you then. Anyway, Tamaki's only around for another week. It's not like this date will mean anything."

Marinette worried her lower lip. A small spark of hope flared to life that her best friend might actually be right. That maybe Adrien finally would notice her. Even if she was wrong, then it wasn't like Adrien would get akumatized over feelings that didn't exist. ...It just meant spending the night with one of the most tiresome people she's ever met.

"Besides~" Alya continued, shaking her arm, "you would be doing me a huge solid! Tamaki invited Ladybug and Chat Noir to his party too! I need you to keep an eye on Tamaki to see if he sneaks off and transforms into Chat Noir."

Marinette mentally groaned. Ladybug and Chat Noir? Great. She was _not_ going to get out of this. Alya would just hound her to death about it. Despite all her better judgment, she mutely nodded her head in agreement. Alya whooped in victory, pumping a fist into the air.

 _PRESENT_

Tamaki looked eagerly on Marinette in anticipation. The young lady looked as though she were about to swoon, though Alya knew very well that Marinette was trying not to gag on her answer. "I..." Marinette swallowed heavily, while Adrien looked on in dawning horror, "I... accept. Your invite, that is. Y-yes, I'll go as your date."

Adrien's jaw dropped, while the older blond gave Marinette a gracious smile. "Milady, I am so very pleased to hear that," he said as he gave her a deep bow, punctuating the agreement with a kiss to Marinette's fingers. "Unfortunately, I need to prepare as the host for the event, so I will be unable to pick you up from your home. It is the height of ill-manners and I hope you can forgive me, but would it be alright if I sent a car to pick you up? Perhaps around seven?"

Marinette blinked. "I- N-no, that's too much. You don't need to do that."

"Nonsense! I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least do that much," Tamaki declared, appalled. "Now, I know the location of your home, so I will have your car waiting, Milady." He pressed a kiss to her hands again, before he said tenderly, "You won't regret this. I promise."

Marinette's eyebrows rose, her cheeks heating up in an unwilling blush. Damn, the boy could be smooth when he actually wanted to be. Maybe the party wouldn't be so tedious after all.

The blush was finally too much for Adrien to take. Whirling around on his heel, he stalked out of the room without a word to anyone. Anyone who noticed his expression in the hall gave him a wide berth and he was still fuming when he finally found Nino. The DJ looked up from the homework he'd put off until the last minute. His eyes widened as he took off his headphones. "Dude, what happened? You look like someone kicked your cat."

Adrien was too angry to even laugh at the irony in that statement. "Marinette said yes," he snarled.

"...To what?" Nino frowned.

"To being Tamaki's date for that stupid party!"

At this, Nino let out a low whistle. "Dude, he invited the girl you like as his date? That is _cold._ "

"Oh, not you too!" Adrien cried. "I don't like her like that!"

Nino blinked. "Oooookay?" he said slowly, with a healthy dose of skepticism. "So... what is the problem exactly?"

"Nothing," Adrien snapped. "Absolutely nothing is the problem. Everything is _completely fine_."

"Alright, dude. If you say so. Let me know if you want to talk about your non-problems," the DJ replied, deciding that perhaps now was not the best time to argue with him. He put his headphones back on, going back to working on the math homework due next period.

Keenly aware that he was now being ignored, Adrien huffed and left the room. Fine. FINE. He didn't need to get upset about this. There was _no reason_ to get upset about this. Chat Noir and Ladybug were invited to the party, weren't they? He'd just have to go to the party with his own date.

~o~

Needless to say, Marinette was a little... concerned, when Tikki informed her that Chat was trying to call. After basically agreeing to spy on Tamaki for Alya, her stomach had done nothing but knot itself up with guilt. W _hy_ did she agree to do it? What on earth was she trying to accomplish by agreeing to figure out if Tamaki was Chat Noir? If Alya was right, _then_ what?

So, Marinette reluctantly transformed into Ladybug and answered the call on her compact. "Chat Noir?" she said in her most confident don't-accuse-me-of-anything-what-could-I-possibly-be-guilty-of voice. "Is something wrong? Is there an Akuma?"

She couldn't help straining to listen to Chat's voice, trying to figure out if it sounded at all similar to a certain someone's.

"Buginette, I think Lady Wifi is back," Chat purred, "because I'm feelin' a connection between you and me."

Ladybug groaned and rubbed a hand against her face. "Chat, I'm hanging up. I have work to do." Namely putting together the finishing touches on the dress she was planning to wear for the party. For the ass that was probably using these horrible pick up lines on her now.

"Wait, wait!" Chat cut in quickly. "No, I really do have something to ask you." Suddenly he sounded strangely nervous. "Could you meet at Trocadero in half an hour?"

Ladybug frowned, not missing the coincidence in the location. "...Alright. Half hour it is. See you there."

In the promised half-hour, Ladybug arrived at the top of the Palais de Chaillot, overlooking the Place du Trocadero and Tour Eiffel in the crimson sunset. Chat Noir was already waiting, tapping his baton contemplatively against the stone roof to a tune in his own head. He jumped up to his feet when he sensed Ladybug arrive, coming up to her to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Milady, thank you for coming on such short notice."

Somehow, he missed the way that Ladybug studied him, as if trying to calculate each move, to peel the mask away. "You had something to ask me?" she asked distractedly, trying so hard not to see Tamaki behind her flirtatious partner.

"Indeed I do, Lovebug," Chat replied with a smile and a nod. He gestured over the Trocadero with his baton and said, "I learned that we've been invited to a party taking place here tomorrow night. To celebrate Paris in springtime, I suppose. And... I wanted to ask..." He dropped to one knee, still holding onto one of her hands. "Milady, would you do me the honor of coming as my date?"

All at once, Ladybug's stomach dropped. Partly because Chat had asked her on a _date_ so suddenly. Partly because he used almost the same words that Tamaki used to invite her.

...But mostly because she knew that Alya wasn't going to be posting about the party on the Ladyblog for another half hour. Which meant Chat Noir already knew about it. Despite the fact that there were only a select number of people who _could_ know. Which only meant one thing.

Ladybug wrenched her hand away as if she'd been burned. Chat blinked at the sudden motion, his green eyes going wide. "Milady?"

"I'm not going with you twice, you stupid cat!" she snapped. Without another word, she took a running jump off the edge of the Chaillot. The whizz of her yo-yo sounded below as she swung far away into the night.

Chat stay frozen where he knelt, stunned by the rejection. "Wha..." he mouthed, still not quite believing what just happened. Sure, Ladybug had spurned his advances previously, but she'd never reacted like _that_ before. At worst, he expected some light teasing or annoyed eyerolls. Getting a reaction like that had knocked the wind of him, making him wobble weak-kneed up to his feet. It was as if reality was spinning into some surreal distortion.

That was it. He was done. Ladybug had officially completely rejected-

...Wait a minute, did she say _twice?_ At once, Chat came back to his senses with frightening clarity. Hold on. No one else was invited to this dance besides the students in the Collège Françoise Dupont. So if she said twice, that meant she was already invited. Which meant she was a fellow student at the school.

Which _still_ didn't make sense, because he hadn't actually invited anyone to the dance.

Chat sucked in a sharp breath. Which meant someone was pretending to be him! But who! Who could possibly-!

 _Tamaki._

Chat rocked back, as if taking another hit. Tamaki. Stupid _Tamaki_ with all his grandstanding and flirting and calling Marinette 'Milady, Milady'. Which meant that Marinette was...? Chat shook the thought away. No, that was ridiculous. Obviously, Tamaki had invited a _second_ mystery girl who was Ladybug and he was two-timing both Ladybug and Marinette!

No wonder he couldn't go pick up Marinette from her house! He was picking up Ladybug!

Breathing harshly, Chat thought of the two most important girls in the world to him both being betrayed by that conniving, impersonating, flirtatious _cad!_ This just would not stand! He'd put a stop to it!

He started towards the edge of the Chaillot, intent on heading straight back home to where Tamaki was waiting. Then stopped. Wait. How was he supposed to expose him? If he went to accuse Tamaki now, there wasn't really any proof besides revealing himself. The best thing to do would be to expose him in front of Marinette and Ladybug at the party. By showing up as Chat Noir.

Smirking to himself, Chat launched himself off the Chaillot and headed home.

When he got back to the mansion, Chat snuck in through his bathroom window. He quickly detransformed, then opened up the door to the bedroom. From the couch, Tamaki looked up from the UMS III game, giving the model a bright smile. "There you are! I didn't see you come in! Come over here and play."

 _Don't give me that, I'm onto you,_ Adrien thought.

Tamaki blinked, then he smirked. "Wow, that is a pretty evil face, Adri-chan. Are you plotting something against me?"

"Plotting a hundred different ways to kick your ass," Adrien replied, plopping onto the couch next to him. "Starting with this game. Give me a controller." Then proceeded to show Tamaki the result of hours of playing with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

~o~

The last day of school before spring break went by in a blur. No one was paying any attention in class and the professors seemed just as anxious to get them out of there. Everyone talked about the party that Tamaki Suoh was throwing at the Trocadero for all the classes at the college. All were a titter over who was inviting who, what they were going to wear, and how fancy a party they should expect from the only son of a multi-millionaire.

Marinette couldn't help but try to see if Adrien planned to ask anyone to the party. However, aside from rebuffing all the invitations by Chloe, he seemed to be off in his own world. Aside from glowering at Tamaki when he made his departing farewell to their class. "You think they had a fight?" Marinette whispered to Alya.

"I think it's a good thing that Ladybug's coming to the party, because I see a jealous Akuma in the making," Alya grinned. Marinette smacked her on the arm.

"-and most of all, I would like to thank Mme Bustier," Tamaki said as he reached the end of his lengthy and tiresome speech. He turned to their homeroom teacher, taking her hand as he gave her a lovely smile. "Thank you, Mme Bustier, for not only making this a wonderful week with your grace and dignity, but for all that you do in influencing and molding the minds of France's future."

"Y-you're very welcome, Mr. Suoh," Mme Bustier replied, blushing at the touching words. As if Tamaki hadn't given her hell the entire week he'd been present.

Adrien's scowl only became worse.

"This is but a small token of my appreciation, but I reserved a table for two for you tonight at this restaurant," Tamaki went on, passing Mme Bustier a small white envelope. "All expenses paid, of course." The homeroom teacher cautiously opened up the envelope, but from her small shriek and the hug he gave Tamaki, it was a _very_ good restaurant.

"Wow, he really knows how to flaunt it, doesn't he?" Nino remarked as they all got up to leave.

"Big deal. I could do that if I wanted to," Adrien huffed.

" _Please_ don't," Marinette said behind them. She flushed as they looked up at her, as if she spoke out of turn. "I-I-I mean, h-he's sweet, but the rich boy act is a little much. A-and you're Adrien just the way you are, perfect! I mean-! You're perfect just the way you are..."

Adrien blinked at her. _Then why are you going to the party with Tamaki?_ he burned to ask. Even so, her words of encouragement couldn't help but tug a small smile to his lips. "Thank you, Marinette. You're perfect the way you are too." He turned to pack up his school bag, missing the way that his classmate melted into a pile of goo behind him.

He glanced up to see Nino's incredulous look. "What?"

The DJ shook his head. "You totally had this coming, dude," he replied cryptically, before he waved Tamaki over. "Hey, so where's the entrance to the party anyway? Closer to the Metro?"

 _Traitor,_ Adrien thought with a scowl as the two boys headed off. Tamaki seemed in a particular hurry. Presumably to get ready for the party. _Or to figure out how to date two girls at once._

No matter, he thought as he strode out of class, he had his own plans to attend to.

~o~

"Marinette, your ride's here!" Sabine called from downstairs.

Up in her room, Marinette took another critical look at her full length mirror, trying to see if there was a single stitch out of place. She wore a long, strapless, pink chiffon dress, made to look like cascading rose petals as it dropped along her ankles. It was her most ambitious work yet and chiffon was notoriously difficult to work with. She was paranoid that she had left a pin in place as she rushed to get the piece together.

She worried still, even as she descended the stairs from her loft and her mother let out a squeal of delight. Her papa looked up from the TV and let out a tear at the sight of his little girl. "Oh Marinette, you look beautiful!" her mother cried, gathering her up into a hug, soon followed by Tom who enveloped them both.

"Maman, Papa! You're going to wrinkle the dress!" Marinette cried, both happy and embarrassed. Still, she was glad Tamaki hadn't come in person to witness this sight. "I need to go. I'll be late." She gathered up her clutch which had her phone, ID, and Tikki (oh poor Tikki) stored away. "I'll see you later tonight," she said as she kissed her parents good-bye.

"Stay safe, sweetie!" Tom called as Marinette headed downstairs.

Imagine her surprise when she saw outside her door, not just an expensive black car, but Adrien leaning casually against it. Adrien, decked to the nines in one of his father's latest designs, an all black tuxedo tailor-made just for him. The only color was a slim acid green tie that matched his eyes so well, as well as a pure white rose boutonniere.

Marinette felt her mouth go dry.

Similarly, Adrien stared back at her, slack-jawed. God, he knew Marinette was cute, but he didn't realize that she was so _beautiful._ The sun wouldn't set for another hour, but already it cast its red hue over Paris. It reflected through the street just right, catching the blue hue to her hair tied up into a styled bun. It made her white skin seem to glow and the chiffon of her ruffled dress blush between red and pink.

"Um..." Marinette worried a shiny pink lip, "A-Adrien? What are you doing here?"

"O-oh!" Adrien said, somehow snapping out of the spell. He coughed, trying to will away the faint heat to his cheeks. "Um, well, I heard that Tamaki wasn't going to be picking you up in person. I thought it was such a shame. And since _I_ don't have a date, I figured I could at least escort you there."

"Oh, okay," Marinette mumbled shyly.

Adrien wasn't sure what to make of the less than enthusiastic response, but she didn't say _no,_ so... He held out the single red rose he had hidden behind his back. "I got this for you. I-I figured, since you said you didn't like the rich boy act, that at least a rose would be okay. Girls always deserve roses."

At that, Marinette's face blossomed into a breathtaking smile, her cheeks flushed with a beautiful rosy hue. "Th-thank you," she said, taking the rose from him to smell it. "I love it."

 _Mon Dieu, he doesn't deserve you,_ Adrien thought. Trying to get a hold of himself, he opened up the door to the town car. "Your carriage, Princess?"

Marinette started softly at the nickname, knocked out of her blushing reverie. She gave Adrien a very odd look indeed. The model wondered in a sudden bout of paranoia that it might be _recognition._ "Sorry!" he apologized quickly. "It's just, Tamaki calls you Milady, so I wanted to call you something different. I'm sorry, it's probably stupid."

"N-no! It's okay!" Marinette said quickly. "I just... never thought you'd call me something like _that._ "

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Adrien replied with a strained smile. "Shall we?"

Unfortunately, the ride to the Trocadero was awkward and silent. Adrien wasn't sure how to start a conversation that didn't involve Tamaki and given Marinette's propensity for stuttering, she didn't seem interested in talking either. On top of that she seemed extra anxious, distracted.

However, the Trocadero provided a different type of distraction as they approached. Gold and white banners fluttered down the wings of the Palais de Chaillot, while pillars of lights beamed and spun in the sky. The whole event spread out in the open air along the illuminated fountains and the esplanade, a small spread of white and gold clothed tables, banquet tables and sparkling cider fountains. The melody of a string orchestra sounded into the air over the din of the teens that attended their school.

Adrien was grudgingly impressed. His father would probably never dream of letting him manage any kind of social event like this at his age. Of course, his father would probably try to keep controlling his every move until he's 50.

The car stopped in front of the entrance to the party, which was locked down with incredibly tight security. After they presented their invitations, they were greeted by rows of rose arches and a red carpet. Adrien helped Marinette from the car, squeezing her hand maybe a little too tightly. That was when Tamaki came striding up to them. He went in a drastically different direction in his attire than Adrien, dressed in a pristine princely white suit with a pink rose boutonniere.

"Adri-chan! Marinette!" he said cheerfully. "I'm so glad you got here safely... to _gether,_ " he added, giving Adrien a sly look. He took Marinette's hands, looking over her appearance. "Ah Milady, you look absolutely stunning. You're the belle of this entire ball."

Wait. He _did_ tell her that too, right? ...Oh _shit_ , no he didn't.

"And that dress!" Tamaki gushed. "I don't recognize it, but it looks worthy of any Hitachiin or Agreste label."

"Thanks," Marinette said with a faint smile, "I made it myself."

Adrien twitched. Alya probably told him about her fashion designing, that cheat!

"I did get you a small something, to thank you for agreeing to be my date," Tamaki added, procuring a long velvet blue box from his inside pocket. "I hope you'll accept it."

Marinette took it with a healthy dose of skepticism. However, she let out a faint gasp when she opened it. Inside on top of white satin, lay a string of black pearls.

"To match your earrings," Tamaki said with a smile. "Since you wore them all week, I assumed they were your favorite. I thought you might appreciate something to match. May I?"

"I... alright," she said slowly, casting a glance in Adrien's direction. His expression was stony as Tamaki fastened the necklace and laid it against her collarbone. "Thank you really," she said, genuinely touched. "I've always wanted to get something for my earrings. I didn't think anyone noticed them."

"I noticed," Tamaki replied, "and it was my pleasure, milady," he added, pressing another kiss to her knuckles. "Now I think I saw Nino and Alya already inside. Would you like to go join them? I'd like a minute with Adri-chan."

"...Sure," Marinette said warily, sensing the mounting tension between the two. "Th-thank you for the rose, Adrien," she added, before she headed into the party. She cast a look back at them, before she found Alya and Nino eating at one of the gold reception tables.

"What exactly are you trying to prove, Tamaki?" Adrien demanded, once it was the two of them. It struck him as ironic, how they contrasted each other. Black versus white. Good versus evil. ...With black being good, obviously.

"Prove? What would I be trying to prove?" the older blond asked innocently. "I'm just following through on my promise to be a good date for Marinette. Is that so terrible? After all, who else would have done so?" When all he received in reply was a sour look, he laid a hand on Adrien's shoulder and whispered, "Adri-chan, if you _really_ want her, you can have her. Just make sure it's what you really want. Try not to break her heart."

"Who else are you here with?" Adrien hissed back, his green eyes narrowing. At Tamaki's befuddled look, he said, "Don't play dumb with me, Tamaki! I know you've got another girl stashed around somewhere if you're that willing to give her up. You spent the past week bragging to me about how you see twenty girls a day in your stupid club! So who is she then?"

"Adrien, what-?" Tamaki asked, dumbfounded.

"Who is Ladybug!" Adrien demanded, grabbing Tamaki by the front of his suit.

"Uh... guys? Do we need to break up a fight over there?" Nino asked in alarm as he, Alya and Marinette watched the scene unfold from afar.

"Alya, I _told_ you this was a terrible idea!" Marinette cried, stamping her foot. This was like the beginning of her worst nightmare. Adrien and Chat Noir duking it out to the death.

"Don't look at me. It's not my fault our adorable ray of sunshine has a dark side!" the reporter protested. "If he wasn't so oblivious, we wouldn't be in this situation! Who knew that Adrien had such a green-eyed monster living inside him?"

Nino waved them down from their argument. "Hold on, hold on. I think it's okay," he said as Adrien released Tamaki with a small shove.

"You know what?" Adrien said, backing away as he threw up his hands. "Doesn't matter. It _doesn't matter_ , because I'm going to reveal you for the fraud you are." He spun on his heel, storming through the party to look for the first dark nook he could find to transform into Chat Noir.

"Adrien!" Tamaki called after him, matching the other blond's stride. "Adrien, what on earth are you talking about?" They made their way through the party like fish swimming downstream, quickly and deftly making their way around the students. "Adrien, stop! Why do you think I'd know Ladybug!"

"Stop following me!" Adrien snapped back at him.

However, Tamaki seemed determined to catch him. They whirled inside one of the empty Musee in the Chaillot, empty because everyone was outside enjoying the fountains and the unimpeded sight of the illuminated Tour Eiffel. Finally catching up, Tamaki grabbed the model by the wrist before he could get any further. "Stop!" he hissed, a fierceness that Adrien had never seen lighting up those violet eyes. The sheer strangeness of it knocked him out of his temper with genuine shock. "Adrien, if you know something about Ladybug, you _have_ to tell me. I have to find her!"

Before Adrien could say a word, a shadow loomed over both of the boys, blocking out the windows behind them. Their heads snapped up to find an impossibly huge silhouette. _"TAMAKI SUOH!"_ a deep, guttural voice bellowed as two glowing green eyes peered down at them. _"DIE!"_

"Run!" Adrien cried, grabbing Tamaki by the wrist and hauling him away. Just as a huge fist leveled the whole pillar they were leaning against. Scowling, it looked up at the retreating backs and began to lumber after them, before picking up speed.

"What is that?!" Tamaki shrieked, watching as the wall of tendril-like shadow began to gain momentum, knocking down whole walls as it went. Outside, screams erupted from the party as part of the building crumpled and the guests began to realize that they were under attack.

"Akuma! Don't look back!" Adrien yelled, paying attention instead to where they were going. He had to lure it away from the people first. Then he could save the target. The columns whizzed past them as he led them up and up, away from the people, towards the roof. The roof. The sky. That was what was safest. That was what Chat knew.

They burst up onto the roof, then began to run along the eastern wing of the palais. With a bellowing cry, the ground beneath the feet shook on its foundations. Chat knew they were being pursued. Ahead the line between the stone roof and the night sky was getting closer and closer. "Tamaki, you have to jump! Close your eyes and jump!"

"There's nothing _there!_ "

"Just do it!" It was the only warning he gave, before he threw Tamaki off into the air ahead of him. He jumped over the ledge and cried, "Plagg, transforme moi!"

Below, the party began to evacuate. Guests screamed and ran for their lives as _something_ crumpled whole sections of the Chaillot. Nino, Alya, and Marinette stood their ground, trying not to get trampled over by the crowds. Alya, ever prepared, had a pair of binoculars in her purse and was trying to make out where the action was even happening. Difficult when it was this dark out.

"Oh! I see him! I see Chat Noir!" Alya cried in excitement, bouncing on her heels. "On top of the eastern wing! He's fighting! But _what_ is he fighting?"

"Isn't that where Adrien and Tamaki went?" Nino asked slowly, as Marinette's stomach pooled with dread. It kept her frozen, kept her from acting. If it was what she suspected...

Alaya stilled her restless movement.

"What? What is it?" Marinette demanded.

"Um... I don't know how to say this," the reporter said slowly. She put down the binoculars, giving her best friend a pained, _guilty,_ expression. "Chat Noir's fighting a green-eyed monster."

A horrible sound escaped Marinette's throat as she put her hands over her mouth. A quailing scream somewhere between despair and agony. Alya immediately went to her, catching her by the shoulders in case she went weak-kneed. "No, Mari. Mari, it's okay! Ladybug and Chat Noir will take care of him! They'll purify Adrien in no time!"

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Marinette sobbed. "I can't believe I did this!"

"Mari..." Alya started.

"No! NO! I can't do this!" Marinette cried, wrenching herself away from her best friend. "I can't be here right now. I have to go!" She spun around, heading not to where all the other party-goers were being evacuated, but to a more secluded part of the park.

"Damn it!" Alya hissed, kicking off her heels. "Damn it, damnit, dammit!" She replaced the heels with some flats in her purse and wrenched off her patterned skirt to reveal the black shorts she had underneath.

"Alya, you can't be serious right now!" Nino cried as his girlfriend dropped her things into his arms.

"This is my fault!" Alya called over her shoulder as she broke into a run. "I have to do what I can to make sure they don't hurt Adrien!"

Nino looked down to the skirt, heels and purse in his hands. "This is my life. This is my life right now," he said as he sat down on one of the chairs next to the toppled tables, waiting for his girlfriend to come back.

~o~

"WHERE IS TAMAKI SUOH!" the black beast bellowed, swinging a huge paw at Chat and nearly flattening him. "TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"Now, now, haven't you ever heard of the magic word!" Chat crowed as he vaulted over the head of the monster, giving as hard a knock as he could on its noggin. "I'll give you a hint! It starts with P and ends with E!"

The monster was barely even phased by the hit, instead taking another swing at Chat. The cat had to somersault backwards to dodge it, landing in a crouched position on the roof. Suddenly, he heard a familiar yo-yo _whizz_ and his heart soared when he saw Ladybug leap into a crouch beside him. "Milady!" he cried happily, "where have you been all my nine lives!"

But then his Lady leveled him a _Look_ that nearly turned him to stone.

"Shut _up,_ Chat! I don't want to hear it from you! Not this time!" she snapped at him, with the same amount of ferocity that she used to turn down his invite to this very party.

"Me-ouch! What did I do?!" Chat demanded, wondering why he was getting the third degree for no reason at all.

"You know _very well_ what you did, Chat Noir! This is partly _your fault!_ " Ladybug replied, rolling out of the way as a huge paw crushed the stone in between them. "Now help me find the Akuma so we can put Adrien back to the way he was!"

At this, Chat Noir tripped over his own feet. It was nearly his undoing, if Ladybug hadn't lassoed him out of the way by his ankle with her yo-yo. "Adrien?" he echoed incredulously, when he looked up at the infuriated bug. "As in Adrien _Agreste?_ "

"Don't pretend you don't know who he is," Ladybug said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm onto you, Kitty-Kat. Now, I'm pretty sure that the Akuma will be in his rose boutonniere-"

"Buginette," Chat said quickly, "I am a hundred and ten percent certain that Akuma is _not_ Adrien Agreste." Ladybug scorched him another _Look_ that seriously made him doubt himself. "Okay, a hundred. Ninety-nine percent! I'm not going any lower!" He took Ladybug by the arm, trying to implore her with his gaze. "Milady, please! You have to trust me on this. It's not him!"

Ladybug contemplated him for a half-second with narrowed eyes. Then a strange mix of relief and annoyance eroded the sheer fury in her expression. "...Fine. I suppose you'd know about that," she said. It made Chat's heart flutter erratically, before he remembered who she probably thought he was. He'd have to fix that later. "Do you know anything about this Akuma then?"

" _SHOW ME WHERE TAMAKI SUOH IS! TAMAKI SUOH MUST DIE!"_

"Well, there's that," Chat said with a grin. "Not a huge fan, I take it."

"Oh _great,_ " Ladybug groaned. "It would be easier to make a list of who Tamaki Suoh _didn't_ annoy."

"Oh? You know about him?" Chat asked in feigned innocence.

"Let's just say that sometimes I sincerely regret meeting him. This is one of those times." Ladybug was so busy avoiding another tail swipe, she missed the fiendishly smug grin that plastered itself over Chat's face. "Alright," she said, "we have to do a cold read and see what's out of place."

"That would work if we could actually _see_ the thing," Chat replied. "It's always covered in shadow! Makes the green-eyes pop, I guess."

Ladybug frowned, before her eyes flickered down to the enormous lights that Tamaki had ordered specifically for his party. She pointed them out. "We need to lead it down there. Come on!"

Meanwhile, down on the ground level, Alya tried to see the action and run at the same time. Not an easy feet with binoculars at night. She caught the movement of two tiny figures jumping off the roof, heading towards the fountains, while an enormous black mass followed them. "No, no, no! Are you _kidding_ me?! I just came from there!" she cried as she skidded to a halt.

Right before she tripped over a tree root. She went toppling towards the ground, only to be caught by a pair of white suited arms. "Hello Angel," a familiar face smiled at her, "have you fallen for me?"

Alya gaped at him. "Tamaki?!"

"Alya! Alya!" Nino's breathless voice rang through the park. He came up to the pair, panting harshly from running. "Oh- thank God- I- couldn't stay- fighting there-" he said, still holding onto Alya's clothes and her purse. Then he finally seemed to notice Tamaki just as he caught his breath. "Ah. Wow. Guess that blows your Tamaki is Chat Noir theory out of the water, huh?"

At this, Tamaki blinked. "Wait. You two don't know who Chat Noir is?" he asked in innocent perplexion.

Slowly, Nino and Alya turned to stare at him. Which was when Tamaki realized that maybe he shouldn't have let that slip.

"CATACLYSM!"

"LUCKY CHARM!"

The green-eyed monster screamed in fury, blinded by the lights of flood lamps glaring down at it through the refracted mirrors in the air all around it. It lasted only a minute and they still couldn't make out the full detail of the monster. But Ladybug saw the glint of gold around its neck and took the opportunity to strike while it was still dazed.

She came away with a pair of gold opera glasses, which she shattered onto the ground. The Akuma fluttered out of it and with practiced ease, Ladybug captured it with her yo-yo and purified the little butterfly. Then, she threw the lucky jump-rope up in the air with the cry,

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!"

Immediately, the magic set about to do its work, putting back together the ruined remains of the Palais de Chaillot, the trampled and crushed sidewalks, the tossed reception tables, down to the very last petal on the rose archways.

"Pound it!" Chat Noir said, holding out a fist to bump. Only to be studiously ignored. He winced. Looked like that cat was still in the dog house.

That was until the dark shadows enveloping the latest victim fell away, revealing a beautiful auburn haired young woman. She looked up from the ground where she knelt, disoriented and confused. "Where? How did I get here?"

"Th-that's really not Adrien," Ladybug stammered.

"Well, I _told_ you, didn't I?" Chat responded with an exasperated wave of his arms. He didn't get to fully realize his indignation, when a flash of blue and blond hurled itself out of nowhere and launched itself at him.

"NEKO-CHAN~! SAVE ME~!" Tamaki cried, managing to wrap his full bodyweight around the superhero.

"Get off! Tamaki, get off!" Chat cried, trying to pry the older blond off of him without snapping any joints.

Ladybug stared at the both of them, her jaw hitting the floor.

"Milady, are you carnivorous? Because you're going to catch flies that way," Chat said, only just managing to pry Tamaki off enough to put him back onto his feet. "Now! As for you! I already saved your ass multiple times tonight! The Akuma's not even active anymore. What am I saving you from this time?!"

"Her!" Tamaki cried, using Chat as a human shield from the apparent danger. Out of the park, Nino and Alya burst into view, panting as they hunted down their would be source. They skidded to a halt when they came right up to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Oh, uh, hi!" Alya said with a guilty smile and a frantic wave. "We-we were justing looking for our friend Tamaki. Oh there he is!" she pointed to the blond cowering behind Chat Noir. "Could we please have him back?"

Chat Noir looked over his shoulder at Tamaki, then at Alya's too-innocent smile and Nino's guilty expression. It didn't take long to figure out what was up. "No. I don't think so," he said, wrapping an impossibly strong arm around Tamaki's shoulders. "This kitty needs to play with his food for a little longer. Why don't the two of you head along home and leave the clean-up to us."

"But-" Alya started.

"Good night, Alya~!" Ladybug said with a sweet wave. "I'll be sure to arrange another interview with you later."

Compensated, but defeated, Alya let out a sigh of resignation. She waved for Nino to follow her, finally taking back her things from his hands. "Great party, dude!" the DJ called to their would-be host.

"Thank you!" Tamaki replied cheerfully as he waved them off.

"Tamaki, that was sarcasm."

"Ah, Neko-chan, the mark of a true host is being able to ignore sarcasm and take it at face value."

"You _literally_ just made that up, didn't you?"

Ladybug looked between the pair of them, feeling a very peculiar sensation of deja vu. "Chat Noir," she said, cutting their bickering off. "So, you're _not_ Tamaki Suoh?"

"Well, _obviously_!" Chat Noir cried in exasperation, in a rare show of irritation with his Lady. "I was planning on proving that tonight by crashing the party! But then an Akuma had to go and crash the thing before I could! And how could you possibly think he was me anyway?!"

"Well, in her defense, I am incredibly charming and exceedingly handsome," Tamaki purred.

Ladybug pressed her lips into a thin line, deciding that -perhaps- it was better just not to say anything.

"In any case, I did exactly what I set out to achieve for this party!" Tamaki said with a grin, sliding in front of the two of them. "I wanted to get in touch with the two of you. I needed to talk to you about-" A groan and a movement interrupted him, as the former-Akuma slowly got to her feet. She wobbled, still disoriented from her experience. Tamaki's face went ashen. "Actually," he said slowly, "it looks like I might not need you after all."

Striding past the two heroes, he went to the young lady and gently, but firmly helped her up to her feet. He dialed his cell phone and within seconds, several black cars appeared out of nowhere, as if they were lying in wait. One intimidating looking bodyguard took the young woman from Tamaki and helped her into the back of one of the town cars.

 _Who is that?_ Ladybug mouthed at Chat Noir, who only gave a helpless shrug.

Tamaki spun back towards them, giving them an apologetic smile. "I am terribly sorry for everything that I've put you through. I need to leave for a couple days, but I _promise_ I will explain everything to you before I head home. If you're willing to listen."

"Well..." Chat Noir said, uncomfortably, "you know where to find me, I suppose." He winced when he saw Ladybug's eyes snap towards him.

Tamaki nodded, then made to get into one of the cars. Then he seemed to change his mind. He went up to Chat Noir again and tugged him into another hug. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered into Chat's ear, "...and I really _did_ only invite one girl to the party."

Chat stiffened, his eyes slowly widening.

Tamaki pulled away, giving him a wink and a ruffle of his hair. "Milady," he demurred, giving Ladybug a final kiss to her hand, "it has been a pleasure." With that, he finally departed and the town cars began to drive away to their unknown destination.

"Chaton?"

"Yes, milady?"

"Exactly how much does he know?" she asked, her voice turning low and dangerous.

"Uhhhh~" Chat replied, breaking out into a cold sweat. That was when the last node on his ring began to beep. "Oh gee! Look at that! Gotta go! Bye!" With that, he bolted, tearing off towards the newly reconstructed eastern wing.

Ladybug gave a dissatisfied _hmph!_ but her own earrings were beeping too. Cursing, she looked for the only cover that was actually available, which were the newly restored gold and white clothed tables. She ducked under one, just in time for her to detransform and catch an exhausted Tikki in her hands. "Oh Tikki! I'm so sorry! I really pushed it today."

"It's... alright Marinette," the little bug kwami said with a tired smile.

"Well, the banquet table should be back to normal. Let me see if I can get you any cookies." Marinette crawled out from underneath the table and dusted herself off. She found that the dessert table was intact, so she began to raid every cookie in sight, piling them high onto a plate.

Only to turn around and see Adrien standing not two meters away from her. She squeaked in startlement, nearly dropping her plate in surprise. "A-Adrien! What are you-?" She looked down to the enormous plate of cookies in her hand and she paled. "Oh this! I wasn't-! I totally wasn't going to eat all these at once. I mean, who can do that? I'd probably throw everything up. No, ew, I mean, that's really gross. Forget I said that. I was just going to save these for later!"

Adrien simply stood there, hands in his pockets. His slowly growing smile was only making her even more flustered. "I'm not trying to be a thief or anything!" she stammered. "But I figured it was all going to waste, since everyone's already left, and honestly what's the harm?" She squeaked again when Adrien strode up to her and snatched a cookie off the top of the pile.

"That's okay," he said with a sly grin, as he took a bite of the cookie, "I'm kind of a thief too." He held out a hand. "May I have this dance, Princess?"

Stunned, she nodded slowly, handing over the plate of cookies. He laughed at that, setting the plate down and subtly toed it underneath the tablecloth. Then he took her out to the silent dance floor, under the light of the crescent moon and the watch of the Tour Eiffel. Marinette's body trembled with both anxiety and happiness, looking everywhere but directly at Adrien as they slowly danced.

She cringed when her feet fumbled and she stepped on Adrien's toes. "I'm so sorry," she said in mortification. "I've got two left feet. I'm such a klutz."

"I know," Adrien replied affectionately. He leaned in and whispered, "But I also know you're not when it really matters."

At that, Marinette's eyes snapped up, only to meet an all too familiar, mischievous green-eyed gaze. "Cha..?" she intoned. Chat swept in, taking advantage of her slightly parted lips to steal a breathless kiss.


	3. Chapter 3-Epilogue

**CHAPTER 3/EPILOGUE**

It was serendipitous that they found out each other's identities the first night of spring break. It gave Marinette and Adrien plenty of time to talk and to reconcile... along with a _few_ other things. They were still deeply entrenched in the awkward puppy love (kitty-love, Adrien liked to say) phase, when Tamaki returned from his mysterious trip and sent notice to the Agreste household. With his promise to explain everything.

After the way they left things and how bad things got, Adrien was a little... _shy_ to talk to him on his own. Besides, he was sure that Tamaki knew exactly who they _both_ were, so he roped his newfound co-conspirator into lunch along the Champs-Elysées.

Tamaki beamed in delight at the pair of them, when they arrived at the private terrace hand-in-hand. "Adri-chan! Mi-" he stopped when Adrien shot him a _look._ "Mari-chan," he settled on diplomatically. Pressing kisses to both their cheeks, he gestured for them to join him at the cast-iron table. "So~ new development?" he asked lightly.

"No thanks to you," Adrien retorted darkly.

Tamaki dismissed the thought with a wave. "Oh, don't be offended. I'm something of a meddler and matchmaker back home. One could say it's my mission to bring happiness to every woman who walks through our doors." He turned a smile onto Marinette. "What do you think, Mari-chan? Do you regret being my date?"

Studiously ignoring Adrien's narrowed eyes, Marinette toyed with the string of black pearls resting on her collarbone. "No, I don't," she decided, smacking her boyfriend on the thigh when he made a jealous huffy noise. "Even though I was your date for all of five minutes. You had the best of intentions and it did work out after all, didn't it?" She turned a sweet smile in Adrien's direction, making the teen blush up to his roots with a single look. "But you have to be careful when you're playing with peoples' hearts," she added sternly, looking back at the older blond. "Especially _now._ "

"I understand," Tamaki replied, turning uncharacteristically somber. "That was actually why I came to Paris. To find Ladybug and Chat Noir." His lips twisted into a wry smile. "It's... about my mother. She's missing."

Adrien gave a fierce start. His eyes grew wide as he looked on his old friend anew. "Missing?" he echoed, all the discontent and annoyance towards Tamaki dissipating with that single word.

"Well... it would be more accurate to say that she was removed," Tamaki replied, looking not at them but at the lush greenery that surrounded them in the private terrace. When he spoke, his voice was wooden, carefully devoid of any emotion. "When my mother grew ill, her business went bankrupt. Since my grandmother had not allowed my father to marry her, she had no means of financial support to pay for her hospital bills and to raise me. My grandmother... she brokered a deal and my mother accepted. I was taken into my father's care and I haven't seen my mother since."

Adrien and Marinette stared, their hearts filling with the heartbreak that Tamaki was so carefully keeping hidden behind his neutral expression. Adrien was particularly affected, his face growing whiter and whiter the longer he listened.

The older blond glanced at them, giving them a smile. "You don't need to look so sad. I would rather you two be celebrating in your newfound love."

Blushing, Marinette coughed and said, "So... you wanted to come to Paris to find your mother? With Ladybug and Chat Noir's help? That's not really what w- _they_ do."

"Not quite," Tamaki replied with a shake of his head. "I was... alright with respecting my grandmother and my mother's wishes for the time being. Until I heard about Hawkmoth and the Akuma. I couldn't stand the thought of someone using my mother's pain for such selfish ends. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to protect her. If there was an anti-Akuma charm she could have. Anything." He let out a sigh. "It turns out, she's not even in Paris. So I worried needlessly over nothing."

"Don't say that," Marinette said kindly. She took Tamaki's hand, giving it a squeeze. "She's your mother. You have every right to be worried about her."

Beside her, Adrien sucked in a wet breath, his eyes dangerously moist. "Tamaki," he spoke, his voice watery, "I'm so, so, _so_ sorry. I had no idea what was going on. I've been such a crappy friend. I didn't support you when any of this was happening. I just let you go without fighting for you! Then when you came back, I treated you so horribly. I'm so sorry!" He let out a wet sob, unable to speak any more. He hid his teary eyes behind his hand, in both misery and guilt.

Smiling gently, Tamaki got up to his feet and wrapped up the younger blond in his arms. He rocked Adrien against his chest, rubbing a hand against his back. "Shhh, Adri-chan. Don't cry. All is forgiven. Shhh~ It's okay, Adri-chan. Don't worry. It's alright," he hushed as waited for Adrien to cry his pain out.

Marinette watched the scene wordlessly, smiling inwardly to herself. No, she didn't think she'd ever have to worry about Tamaki getting akumatized. Her boyfriend though- Wow, someone was going to have to keep an eye on that boy.

She supposed that someone may as well be her.

~o~

"Oh my gosh! You two look so cute!"

Marinette and Adrien blushed at Alya's gushing, while the reporter took countless pictures of the pair of them in front of the Trocadero fountains.

It was the end of their weeklong spring break. Having missed the first half, Tamaki was determined to see his last couple days off with a bang. Which included the spring party v2.0 on his very last night in Paris. (Apparently, event insurance now covered Akuma attacks.)

This time, Marinette and Adrien came as a pair. The model traded in his green tie and white rose for pink, and Marinette sported her black pearls and a new black satin sash to band her dress.

"Alya, _stop,_ " Marinette said, waving a hand in front of the camera. "If we keep posing we're going to miss the chocolate fountain!"

"Wait, get one with me!" a voice cried from behind. Both of them were nearly tackled as Tamaki came up behind them, grappling them in tight embrace. "You _do_ need a picture with your astonishingly beautiful matchmaker after all!"

"Excuse _you!_ " Alya said indignantly, as she put a hand to her hip. "You don't get to swoop on in here to take all the credit. I've been working on these two for months!"

 _("For the love of camembert, WHY do we have to do this again?")_ Plagg demanded inside Adrien's coat pocket. _("Tolerating these two blond knuckleheads has wreaked havoc on my digestive system. I demand three times more cheese immediately!")_

 _("Oh Plagg, you are such a pig!")_ Tikki chirped from Marinette's clutch. _("It's only one more night. Let them enjoy themselves!")_

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a nervous laugh as their kwami and their friends continued to bicker. It was quite a group of family and friends that they had between the pair of them. Nino came to their rescue, waving them over as he distributed glasses of cider. "You guys look like you could use a drink," he grinned. "Also, congratulations you two. You are disgustingly perfect for each other."

"Aw, thanks, man," Adrien said with a wicked grin. "Cheers."

" _ **HARUHI!"**_

All three of them spat up their drinks as Tamaki's voice belted out over them like a thunderclap. Marinette even managed to get some of the sparkling cider up her nose. "Oh, ow! Ow! That hurts!" she choked, while Adrien tried to clean up her face without ruining her makeup. They looked up in time to see Tamaki's retreating back, arms outstretched towards two black suited bodyguards. Between them was a young Japanese... boy? Or was it girl? Yeah, it was a girl.

And _wow,_ she did not look happy. Within seconds she laid Tamaki flat and had the blond down on his knees yammering in lightspeed Japanese. Probably begging for forgiveness. It wasn't clear what happened, but there was a pretty good indication that the girl was absolutely _not_ prepared to be literally dragged to a black-tie party in what looked like her pyjamas.

"Wait a minute. Who is _that?_ " Alya asked as she approached the other three.

Adrien smirked. " _That_ is Haruhi. _That_ is who Tamaki absolutely does not have a crush on," he said slyly, "according to him, in any case." Although he was completely sure that Haruhi was supposed to be in _Japan_ at the moment.

"Oh _really?_ " Marinette asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. And if her expression was mischievous, Alya's was downright devious.

"Shall we go introduce ourselves, Mari?" Alya asked, holding out an arm to her friend. "There's got to be an interpreter somewhere over there."

"Why, yes, I think we shall," Marinette replied with a giggle, as they headed over to the scene.

"Hey! I get infinite dibs on teasing him!" Adrien declared, jogging after the girls.

That left Nino standing on his own with three half filled drinks in his hands. "Really? This is my life now?" he asked himself. Deciding enough was enough, he tossed the glasses into the nearest person, getting cider all over them in the process. "Guys! Wait up!" he called, running after the three.

Chloe's screech echoed into the night.

"YOU IDIOT! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS DRESS COST?!"


End file.
